Loyalty card 'to cut cost of rail travel'

A NATIONAL loyalty card for rail passengers, entitling them to discounts of up to 50% on long-distance routes, is suggested today.

It would provide a new way of making savings if the train companies receive Government permission to scrap cheap saver tickets.

The idea of the annual card - costing a nominal fee of perhaps £20 - has been put forward by Passenger Focus, formerly the Rail Passengers Council, the national watchdog.

Chairman Colin Foxall said a loyalty card would benefit passengers on longer-distance routes who were unable to book a cheap ticket in advance.

'A national railcard, offering a percentage discount which would increase the more you travel, would mitigate the impact of deregulating saver tickets,' he said.

The watchdog now plans to canvass passengers nationwide. If they back the idea, the group will try to negotiate a scheme with the train companies.

An earlier survey by the watchdog found that a national railcard - similar to the Network Card, which covers most off-peak travel in the South-East - could increase off-peak travel by up to 25%. Train company income could rise by up to £70m.

A Department for Transport spokesman said 'more work needs to be done' before a decision on a railcard is made. The Association of Train Operating Companies said: 'We are very open to suggestions for improvement.'